Close Collaboration and Communication Can Overcome the Challenges of Distributed Teams

Published on: September 09, 2022
Last updated: December 08, 2022 Read in fullscreen view

Recommended for you

07 Jul 2024 Top Fintech Companies in Vietnam Driving Innovation Across Digital Banking & Investment 121/236
17 Mar 2026 How Much Does it Cost to Build an AI Agent in 2026 119/178
09 Jan 2022 How to Bridge the Gap Between Business and IT? 114/314
05 Mar 2026 Top 7 Full-Cycle Web App Development Companies for Your Business in 2026 112/138
01 Dec 2022 Difference between Set-based development and Point-based development 111/467
30 Oct 2022 How Much Does MVP Development Cost in 2023? 108/358
21 May 2022 "Fail Fast, Fail Often, Fail Forward" is the answer to Agile practices of software success 107/1148
08 Oct 2024 Vietnam: The Rising Star in Global Outsourcing – Trends and Costs for 2025 106/465
10 Apr 2022 Agile self-organizing teams: What are they? How do they work? 103/634
10 Mar 2021 The 7 Biggest Mistakes to Avoid Before Outsourcing a Web Development Project 103/336
12 May 2021 The Real Cost Between Outsourcing IT vs In-House: A Quick Comparison 101/542
05 Jan 2022 What Outsourcing Engagement Model is Right For You? 100/411
17 Mar 2026 Top 10 Product Development Companies in Chennai 2026 (Updated) 100/114
03 Jul 2022 Manifesto for Agile Software Development 97/364
02 Feb 2026 What Is the Total Cost of Web Development for Small & Medium Businesses? 97/127
01 Jan 2023 Top Software Development Challenges in 2023 97/412
01 Sep 2022 Facts Chart: Why Do Software Projects Fail? 95/682
27 Oct 2020 8 principles of Agile Testing 94/1402
10 Jan 2024 Facts Chart: Reasons for outsourcing 91/245
06 Feb 2026 How Much Does a CPA Cost for a Small Business? 90/106
21 Aug 2025 Top 30 Oldest IT Outsourcing Companies in Vietnam 89/192
16 Jul 2022 What are disadvantages of Agile Methodology? How to mitigate the disadvantages ? 85/476
11 Mar 2026 OEM, ODM, and OBM in Software Development: Choosing the Right Growth Path 84/97
10 Apr 2021 RFP vs POC: Why the proof of concept is replacing the request for proposal 83/407
28 Nov 2023 Scrum Team Failure — Scrum Anti-Patterns Taxonomy 81/332
19 Oct 2020 The hidden costs of outsourcing software development 80/548
11 Mar 2024 Why You Should Hire Odoo Developers from Vietnam to Customize Your ERP System 78/184
01 Mar 2022 Top 5 reasons why outsourcing to Vietnam is a smart move 77/357
16 Feb 2026 Education App Development Cost in 2026: Benchmarks and Key Cost Drivers 75/117
16 Oct 2024 Building a Software Outsourcing Startup: Strategy Through Two Canvases 74/107
24 Nov 2021 What is the Actual Cost of Hiring Cheap Developers? 74/463
08 Nov 2022 4 tips for meeting tough deadlines when outsourcing projects to software vendor 74/358
03 Oct 2020 Outsourcing Your MVP Development - Streamlined Solutions for future 73/498
21 Oct 2021 Advantages and Disadvantages of IT Outsourcing 73/426
01 Jan 2023 4 New IT Outsourcing Pricing Models to consider in 2023 72/442
20 Nov 2022 Agile working method in software and football 71/410
01 Jun 2022 How Your Agile Development Team is Just Like a Football Team? 70/288
31 Oct 2025 The True ROI of Software Development Outsourcing for Tech Startups 70/148
24 Nov 2025 Top Blockchain Companies in Vietnam 70/114
03 Dec 2025 IT Outsourcing Solutions Explained: What, How, Why, When 68/96
03 Dec 2025 IT Outsourcing Solutions Explained: What, How, Why, When 68/96
07 Jul 2021 The 5 Levels of IT Help Desk Support 68/540
15 Oct 2022 Project-based team model for one-off and pilot software development projects 66/884
16 Feb 2021 Choose Outsourcing for Your Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) 65/234
07 Oct 2020 How To Manage Expectations at Work (and Why It's Important) 64/392
10 May 2021 What are things you should look for in a good IT outsourcing company? 64/502
19 Mar 2021 Selective Outsourcing of IT Functions - a new trend in business outsourcing 62/614
09 Jan 2021 How can outsourcing enable business agility? 61/251
16 Apr 2021 Insightful Business Technology Consulting at TIGO 61/504
16 Dec 2021 Why outsource Python development of your project? 61/556
03 Jan 2023 IT Outsourcing Costs: Is outsourcing really cost-effective? 61/269
01 Apr 2021 IT Outsourcing to vietnam: Why It Is A Good Choice? 61/357
01 Jan 2023 Software Development Outsourcing Trends to Watch Out for in 2023 60/380
14 Dec 2021 The Top 10 Problems with Outsourcing Implementation and How to Solve Them 60/456
07 Aug 2022 Things to Consider When Choosing a Technology Partner 59/340
12 Jan 2023 Top 10 Trustworthy IT Outsourcing Companies in Vietnam 59/340
13 Oct 2021 Why Outsourcing Software Development Services Is Gaining Traction With Non-Technical Leaders? 58/370
17 Jan 2024 What are the benefits and challenges of using multi-sourcing or single-sourcing strategies? 57/253
10 May 2021 Project Audit and Second Opinion Services 56/301
01 Jun 2025 10 Sustainable & Unique IT Outsourcing Companies in Vietnam 55/134
03 Nov 2022 Top questions and answers you must know before ask for software outsourcing 54/337
03 Nov 2022 Top questions and answers you must know before ask for software outsourcing 54/337
02 May 2021 Outsourcing Software Development: Avoid 8 Mistakes 54/183
01 Jan 2023 Top 5 IT outsourcing countries in 2023 53/326
15 Aug 2021 TIGO Rate Formula - Things the partners should know 53/561
04 Apr 2024 Unlock Vietnamese-Japanese outsourcing potential 53/285
05 Aug 2025 Why Doesn’t South Korea Outsource Its IT Projects Like Other Developed Countries? 52/147
09 Oct 2022 Key Advantages and Disadvantages of Agile Methodology 52/755
09 Feb 2023 The Challenge of Fixed-Bid Software Projects 52/289
01 Sep 2019 Outsourcing Software To Vietnam: Facts, benefits and limitations 52/512
12 Oct 2020 The Agile Manifesto - Principle #8 51/545
03 Nov 2021 7 phases of Odoo Implementation and Development: Can they be outsourced? 51/468
01 Jan 2024 Tech Partnerships: Choosing the Right Software Outsourcing Firm in Vietnam 49/220
17 Oct 2020 How Outsourcing can Improve Time Management for Better Business 48/329
28 Oct 2022 Expect the unexpected in 2023 - How Outsourcing Can Help? 48/251
22 Mar 2022 8 Mistakes Marketing Agencies or Consulting Firms Make When Outsourcing Web Development 48/393
08 Aug 2021 Why Nearshore Software Development is better than In-House Development? 48/242
02 Mar 2021 Estimate the Cost of Software Development 48/404
04 Jan 2021 VIETNAM AS A BIG ATTRACTIVE DESTINATION IN THE FIELD OF OUTSOURCING 47/365
07 Nov 2024 Outsourcing Crisis Looming: Will Trump's Policies Transform the Global IT Landscape? 47/228
13 Jan 2023 What are the Hourly Rates in Offshore Software Development? 46/283
12 Oct 2021 Vietnam outsourcing path - the silk road connecting ASEAN with the developed countries (EU, US, Japan...) 46/369
11 Mar 2023 Common Pain Points in Software Development Outsourcing 45/302
01 Oct 2022 Vietnam is a favorite supply of IT outsourcing services to Japan 45/280
15 Nov 2023 IT Staff Augmentation Types and the Best Choice for Your Business 44/245
01 Jan 2024 Hiring Tech Talents in Asia: An Overview of Skills, Costs, and Potential 44/203
10 Jul 2025 Building AI-Driven Knowledge Graphs from Unstructured Data 43/204
01 Jan 2024 Software Outsourcing Questions for 2024 42/191
01 May 2023 Streamline Your Business with Outsourcing 42/245
21 Aug 2022 Forbes: IT Outsourcing Hotspot: Vietnam, A Small But Mighty Powerhouse 42/296
01 Jan 2023 Why is Vietnam the Top IT Outsourcing Destination of 2023? 41/280
09 Mar 2022 Consultant Implementation Pricing 40/251
07 Oct 2022 Digital Transformation: Become a Technology Powerhouse 40/285
25 Nov 2021 Low-Cost Software Development: Buy Nice or Buy Twice? 39/391
31 Dec 2021 Outsourcing Software Development to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 39/362
02 Nov 2023 What are the pros and cons of iIT outsourcing? 38/229
06 Oct 2021 Intellectual property issues with outsourcing software development 38/423
16 Mar 2021 Outsource Data Engineering Services - TIGO Streamlined Solutions 38/292
01 Jan 2024 12 reasons for software development outsourcing 38/222
25 Sep 2025 A Practical Guide to Secure Online Work for Outsourced Teams 37/130
06 Mar 2021 4 things you need to do before getting an accurate quote for your software development 37/726
01 Jan 2024 What The World Is Flat Means to IT Outsourcing 36/203
01 May 2023 CTO Interview Questions 36/371
01 Mar 2022 Why Does Scrum Fail in Large Companies? 35/298
08 Feb 2022 Software Development: Fixed Cost or Opportunity Cost? 34/495
20 Nov 2022 Software Requirements Are A Communication Problem 34/274
21 Oct 2022 Outsourcing Billable Rate 33/298
01 Feb 2023 [InfoWorld] Is your outsourcer agile enough? 33/225
01 Mar 2023 How do you deal with disputes and conflicts that may arise during a software consulting project? 33/193
21 Oct 2022 Virtual meeting - How does TIGO save cost, reduce complexity and improve quality by remote communication? 33/217
10 Oct 2022 Should Your Business Go Agile? (Infographic) 32/156
02 Nov 2022 Frequently Asked Questions about Agile and Scrum 31/428
08 Jan 2024 Outsourcing on an As-Needed Basis 31/190
17 Mar 2025 IT Consultants in Digital Transformation 25/109

By Priya Patra, PMP

Outsourcing and Agile? No Problem.

I am an agile evangelist. I believe that by focusing on individuals over processes, agile approaches help to deliver more value to the customer. But some insist agile is a bad fit in an outsourcing environment, where multiple teams from different organizations work together—often in different time zones. According to VersionOne's 11th Annual State of Agile Report, released this year, 51 percent of respondents who outsource software development projects use agile practices for them.

For the others, agile can also work well in outsourced projects—I've seen it up close. Here's how.

Agile approaches can help team members collaborate to deliver value in regular increments.

I was tasked with managing a 25-member team, spread across North America, Europe and Asia, working on an offshored project to build an account receivables platform. Three organizations were involved: the large multinational company that outsourced the project; the service provider handling design, code construction, testing and deployment; and the quality assurance (QA) contractor hired by the provider. And of course, testing involved end users—payment collectors and data entry operators, for example.

The Partnership

Partnerships can be built online, but traveling to the customer's location strengthens the customer-provider relationship. As the development service provider, we traveled to the customer's location to learn about the client's business philosophy, company culture and goals. That helped us to view the project as more than just a task. The same held true for the QA service provider: We placed one test analyst on-site with the customer for two weeks to see the platform in use and understand the end user's pain areas.

But most of the time the team was spread across continents. Given that face-to-face communication is one of agile's core values, we obliged stakeholders to be available for collaboration at least 30 minutes per day (we used scrum), via phone and videoconference calls and instant messaging. A product owner representative was embedded within the development and QA teams to facilitate delivery, and we conducted sprint retrospectives on videoconferences to keep everyone on the same page.

The entire team evolved from a “throw over the wall” mentality to a constant monitoring and guidance approach. Trust and transparency were essential. To ensure there was continuous, parallel and independent verification, we completed on-site visits to the service provider's location.

The Payoff

After two months and four sprints, we launched our first minimum viable product 10 percent under budget; end users were satisfied. One year later, the team is implementing the platform in four of the customer's lines of business.

With outsourced (and especially offshored) projects, the biggest challenge is getting all parties focused on a single goal. Agile approaches can help team members collaborate to deliver value in regular increments. But everyone must commit to the approach from day one.

Patra, P. (2017). Outsourcing and Agile? No Problem: Close Collaboration and Communication Can Overcome the Challenges of Distributed Teams. PM Network, 31(6), 24.

A A A A

[{"displaySettingInfo":"[{\"isFullLayout\":false,\"layoutWidthRatio\":\"\"}]"},{"articleSourceInfo":"[{\"sourceName\":\"\",\"sourceValue\":\"\"}]"},{"privacyInfo":"[{\"isOutsideVietnam\":false}]"},{"tocInfo":"[{\"isAutoNumbering\":false,\"isShowKeyHeadingWithIcon\":false}]"}]

Via

{content}